Sink and disposal combination



g- 2, 1966 G. B. LONG 3,263,935

SINK AND DISPOSAL COMBINATION Filed Sept. 13, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheeb 1 gINVENTOR. M

geoe 5., 023

My ram/m5) Aug. 2, 1966 a. B. LONG SINK AND DISPOSAL COMBINATION 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1963 m T N E V m United States Patent3,263,935 SINK AND DISPOSAL COMBINATION George B. Long, Dayton, Ohio,assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation ofDelaware Filed Sept. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 308,704 1 Claim. (Cl. 241-1005)This invention relates to plumbing fixtures and more particularly tosink or lavatory fixtures.

One problem with present day plumbing fixtures of the sink or lavatorytype is that they are located in work areas of limited size and,accordingly, often do not have as much adjacent work surface area asmight :be desired by a typical user.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to improve sink typeplumbing fixtures by the provision of a work surface area thereon thatdoes not materially increase the overall dimensions of the fixture.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a sink typeplumbing fixture including the provision of means for varying sinkcapacity in a limited space by deforming a resilient horizontal worksurface into a shape forming a substantial sink cavity space from whatwas previously work surface area.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved sinkarrangement including a small capacity sink receptacle or the like in asheet of resilient material that is selectively deformable to form asubstantial work surface area contiguous with the small capacity sinkreceptacle or a sink cavity of substantial capacity drained through thesmall capacity sink.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings Wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention isclearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a portion of a built-in cabinetincluding the plumbing fixture of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view like FIGURE 1 showing the fixture inanother operative position;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view in vertical section takenalong the line 33 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section taken along the line4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGURES 1 and 2, a built-in cabinet isillustrated having a top surface 12 with an opening 14 formed thereinfor receiving a sink or lavatory type plumbing fixture 16 constructed inaccordance with certain of the principles of the present invention.

The sink fixture 16 more particularly comprises a sheet 18 of a suitableresilient material, for example, natural or synthetic rubber or aplastic such as Hypalon, a chlorosulfonated polyethylene compoundmanufactured by Du Pont, having the outer periphery thereof locatedwithin a recess 20 in top surface 12 surrounding the opening 14 where itis fastened by suitable means, for example, a fastening strip 21. In theillustrated embodiment, sheet 18 is representatively shown as beingsubstantially elliptical, it being understood that other geometricshapes would be equally suited for use in the present invention. Thesheet 18 has an opening 23 formed substantially centrally thereofthrough which an open end portion 22 of a small capacity sink bowl ofreceptacle 24 projects with the main body of the receptacle 24 dependingfrom the membrane 18 into an interior space or cavity 26 or machinerycompartment 3,263,935 Patented August 2, 1966 ice in the cabinet 10. Thebottom of the receptacle 24 connects to the upper end of a garbagedisposal unit 27 that has one end thereof connected to an elongatedscrew element 28 threadably engaging a rotatable drive element 30rotatably supported by a bearing 32 located in a support element 34fixed to a support platform 36 within the cabinet. The garbage disposalunit is drained through suitable flexible conduits to a house plumbingdrain system or the like located exteriorly of cabinet 10. The driveelement 30 has gear teeth formed on the outer periphery thereof locatedin engagement with a worm 38 operatively connected to the shaft 40 of areversible electric motor 42 controlled by a switch 44 located on a rearpanel 46 of the cabinet 10.

When the switch 44 is in its up position, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, itcloses a contact 48 to complete a circuit from a suitable power source50 through a conductor 52, a limit switch 54, and a conductor 56 tomotor 42 and thence through a conductor 58 to cause the motor to rotatein a predetermined direction to drive the worm 38 so as to rotateelement 30 to drive the screw element 28 upwardly into the cavity 26whereby the receptacle 24 has the open end portion 22 locatedsubstantially in the plane of the top surface 12 of cabinet 10 as bestillustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3. When the receptacle 24 reaches itsraised position, a plate 59 on the end of screw 28 opens limit switch 54to de-energize motor 42. In its raised position the sheet 18 ofresilient material is substantially fiat and a planar surface 60 securedto the open end portion 22 of the receptacle 24 is located injuxtaposition with the underside thereof to form a solid laminar worksurface in surrounding relationship with the bowl 24. In the illustratedembodiment, the small sink 22 is located below the outlet of a spigot 62so that it can be used as a limited space for carrying out tasks that donot require a substantial sink space, as for example, manicuring,peeling vegetables, or the like.

On the other hand, if it is desired to have a substantial sink space inthe illustrated embodiment of the invention, the switch 44 is moved tothe position illustrated in FIG- URE 2 to close a contact 64 forcompleting a circuit from source 50 through a conductor 66, a limitswitch 69, a conductor 70 to motor 42 and thence through conductor 58back to source 50. In this case, the motor 42 will rotate in a directionto cause the Worm 38 to rotate element 30 so as to drive the screw 28exteriorly of the interior cabinet space 26 whereby the sheet 18 isstretched between the fastening strip 21 on the outer periphery thereofand the bowl 24 to form a sink cavity or space 68 as best illustrated inFIGURES 2 and 4 for carrying out tasks requiring greater sink capacity.In this case, the small bowl or sink 24 serves as a drain from the largecapacity cavity 68 into the garbage disposal unit 27.

While in the illustrated embodiment of the invention anelectromechanical arrangement is illustrated as the means for stretchingthe sheet 18 into a shape to form a large sink cavity, it will beappreciated that the invention in certain of its aspects contemplates anarrangement wherein a Work surface area is eifectively deformed by othermeans such as a fluid system or the like to concave shape to convert ahorizontal work space into a sink-like cavity with the deformablematerial being associated with a small capacity receptacle that servesas a limited sink space when the material is in its horizontaldisposition.

In view of the aforesaid explanation of the invention, it will beappreciated that the invention is well suited for use in a limited workspace where a conventional sink arrangement would not have sufiicientwork space area because it enables a user to selectively provide arelatively large work surface area or a sink capacity approaching thatof a conventional sink arrangement by merely positioning a switchelement or the like into one of a plurality of positions.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

In combination, a fixed member, a layer of elastic material, means forfastening the outer periphery of said layer to said fixed member forlocating said layer of elastic material in a horizontal Work surfaceplane, a receptacle depending from said layer having an open end portioncommunicating through said layer forming access to a small capacity sinkregion contiguous with the horizontal Work surface formed by said layerof elastic material, a garbage disposal unit communicating With saidreceptacle, means including said garbage disposal unit for moving saidreceptacle relative to said fixed member to stretch said layer ofelastic material from its horizontal disposition to form a sink cavityhaving a larger capacity than the above-mentioned sink region.

References Cited by the Examiner ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

H. F. PEPPER, JR., Assistant Examiner.

